China navy gets new "stealth frigate": State media

BEIJING (AFP) - China's navy has taken delivery of a new type of stealth frigate that is expected to bolster the country's maritime defences amid territorial disputes, state media reported on Tuesday.

The ship, identified by the official Xinhua news agency as a "Type 056 stealth frigate", was delivered to the navy on Monday afternoon in a ceremony in Shanghai.

Navy commander Wu Shengli emphasised the importance of mastering its equipment and capabilities amid ongoing maritime disputes, according to a front-page article on Tuesday in the PLA Daily newspaper, published by the People's Liberation Army.

Wu, also a member of the Communist Party's powerful Central Military Commission, called for continuous improvement and growth of an elite naval force capable of fighting and winning so as to reassure Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other members of the commission.